Category Archives: Baby Crying

“Now we struggle a lot with our little boy, he always has a tantrum and I really don t know what to do with him, dressing downs don t work, when I smack his bottom, he gets over that in a short while and is not worried about that at all. It really irritates me when somebody starts to tell me that I am too tender at him. I don t think so because I really try to keep him on a tight rein and I don t allow him anything for no special reason. However he really has a tantrum for no reason and screams and yells I am already helpless I feel like crying.“

We borrowed this story from public online discussion. Mother who knows this story let her be not angry with us. Internet is full of similar contributions. They differ only insignificantly and sound always the same: We struggle each other. Nothing doesn’t count for much with him. I am at a loss what to do next with him. Where do I make a mistake?

It is not always easy to be a parent. Especially when the two-year-old boy starts to have a tantrum and destroy all our present views about upbringing. So we sometimes search for a piece of advice where it is possible and try to know the score in vain.

„I don t want to make him shut up all day long, it is not upbringing in my view, it is drill. Do you think I make a mistake when I wait when it is more reasonable to understand my explanation?“

„My friend told me I should smack her bottom to make her feel the pain. I smack her bottom from time to time, but I don t know, if I do it right?“

(excerpts from discussions)

Which upbringing is the right upbringing?

Some people say: Spare the rod and spoil the child. Nobody caressed with them in their childhood. They survived and today they are decent people. Others warn, that strict upbringing balefully leave marks on the child. Obedience does not have to be a lucky choice, it will grow up one day and will go out into the world of grown ups.

Where is the happy medium and which upbringing is the right upbringing? And especially- which will work even for our child which is so idiosyncratic (wild, obstinate, non- assertive, quick, slow… substitute anything)? How non- upbringing can solve it?

Beg your pardon – Non-upbringing?!

Approach to children, which is spread in our country under the title of Non-upbringing, does not have anything in common with „american“ free upbringing. It does not recommend directive way – I will set you hard and fast rules and you must stick to them, at the same time it is not too liberal- do what you think, child, I do not intervene.

„Non-upbringing is a partnership approach. Some parents are horrified, when they hear the word partnership – I will dance to his tunes? But when I say partnership, I mean mutual partnership. When the child is my partner, it does not mean, that he is the centre of the universe and everything revolves around him. Also me, a parent, I am also a partner, and my peace of mind is equally important as satisfaction of a child. Mutual partnership looks like nobody has to rule here or live in reduced circumstances, we can agree on everything and we are both satisfied,“ says Dr. Kate Krall, author of the principles of Non-upbringing.

Uncontrollable child? It is often a big misunderstanding

How to come to an agreement with a child, that is uncontrollable? I said it to him already hundred times. I tried everything, by hook or by crook. Nothing works. My child is really different. It is just itself, anything „verified“ does not count for much with it.

Yes, reliable advice and instructions do not work everytime. That s precisely why your child is „different“. Equally as mother (or father) is different. And equally unique is situation, in which you found yourself with your child. Therefore Non-upbringing does not give parents „instructions for a child“ and does not try to convince them, that there is only one right solution. It helps them to find their way in a child, in themselves and also in a situation- and find their own solution.

When somebody gives you advice, what exactly you should say to your child or what you should do with it, maybe it will work in 50% cases. And then there are the remaining 50% cases, where it does not have to work. Therefore we teach the parents to understand what happens with them, as a matter of fact. When I understand a child and situation, then I will solve the problem with him together easily. And I don t have to try without looking, what somebody gave me as a piece of advice, or to do something, I am not convinced about. For example, smack his bottom. Parents often assume somehow, it is not the right thing, but they are angry, helpless and so that they act against their feelings. And sometimes it starts as a vicious circle. I know from my personal experience, that most of the problems comes only from lack of understanding, I do not understand what the child wants and it does not understand me,“ explains Kate Krall.

She worked with disabled children in the past, with talented children, as a boss of subsidiary of the Fund of imperilled children then with „problem“ children and families in a difficult living situation. „It works everywhere and we can teach you that in Non-upbringing,“ she dares to say. „We know how to agree on everything without problems with our little boy and also teenage young lady. No wild puberty or defiance are not necessary.“

Speech is silver but Silence is golden

„It is not enough to tell parents how they should do that. Therefore we do not give them instructions in similar interviews. Recall how many times somebody told you what you should do- those people around you always know best. You listened to him, maybe accepted he was right, nevertheless you did not change anything,“ says Kate Krall and continues:

„One thing is to speak, the other thing is to live through it at your own skin and start to do that practically. Therefore we lead parents in our courses to their own experience. Simple, but efficient practical tasks are important part. When you experience some situation from child´s point of view, you will never slap his face in a similar situation. But maybe you will come to him and say: „Now I am very angry, I tremble all over my body, I need it to be different next time.“ And then you will think up how.“

When children make crazy things

Let us get back now to the intoductory contribution of a mother from internet discussion. „Even though your child makes the craziest thing, for example it has a tantrum, screams or bites you, it always has a reason to do that. Sure, it does something, you don t like, and you need to deal with that somehow. I don t mean to say at all- let it be. But the child tries to express something at that moment. When you smack him or you tell it, this is not good to do, you tell it in fact: „I don t understand you, but shut up.“ And then you will never get at the understanding. You need to figure out together, what it wants to say. And then it is sufficient to change the style of communication,“ explains Kate Krall.

Isn it all a long distance run? You can change quickly to the Non-upbringing, within several days till weeks. You have to be firmly decided and go for it. As soon as the child gets used to the new style of communication, we are home and dry.It will stop have a tantrum, because nobody understands it and it will start to cooperate.

One story for all

And how does the whole „magic“ look like in practice? Maybe like this:

„Mike (16 months of age) crawled into a cabin, his grandmother was of course close on his heels. He took a broom, and wanted to go out. Grandmother lamented that it is too big for him, he can knock his head against something, fall down, will cry.. and he said no and no! My grandmother shouts at me in despair: „Pete, tell him something, come and smack his bottom, he does not obey.“ (I got the feeling he obeys and has fun on top of that.)

My bold sentence followed: „So try to agree with him on that somehow.“ „Agree? Oh my god, it is a child! He does not understand me, he does not speak…“

I got up from the bench at rest, came to them into a cabin and knelt down in front of Mike: “Mike, my grandmother maybe does not want you to take the broom outside. Maybe she sweeps with that only inside- try asking her if you can really take it out.“

„Mike did his „Hm“ at me, turned around with the broom at grandmother, raised it, did his „Hm“ at grandmother and nodded his head at the same time. Grandmother stood and was stunned and nodded her head. Mike went out enthusiastically out and started to touch his springboard.“

A pacifier sometimes can really do wonders. However sometimes we need a small wonder, how to break the kid of using a pacifier. Here are ten small tricks, that should help you to get rid of „a small but undesirable problem“.

1. Make it tasting bad

As well as when breaking the habit of biting the nails, you can coat it with something unpleasant what a child does not like it can also help with breaking the habit of using a pacifier

2. Give it as a present or „sell it“

If you think a child can not comprehend this procedure, then giving it as a present or swap the pacifier for something else which the child longs for it can be the right trick that can terminate the pacifier addiction.

3. Make „a cold nose“

You are the parent and therefore you have the right to take away the pacifier from the child once and for all- at least theoretically. If you think the best thing for your child and also for your sanity is to say simply one day strong „No“, you have got the full right to that.

4. Take it away gradually

Perhaps all the present people will bear best gradual and sensitive taking away from the pacifier. The first successful step is to reduce using the pacifier only for particular time periods (evening falling asleep) or a place (bed…).

5. The sooner, the better

Small babies and also small children have their powerful means how to protest against their beloved habit, such as for example a pacifier. But when you break the habit sooner, than a child learns to manifest its repulsion in a verbal way or it will negotiate with you, you will save much time and energy, it will be easier for you and also for your child.

6. Damage it

For many parents it attested itself when they damaged the pacifier in order to it has fully damaged and stopped to be pleasant in child´s mouth. Somebody will pierce it and waits when it tears up, somebody will tear it up right to the handle. Safety note: if you try it, beware, not to damage the pacifier so that it will give off small particles that could choke the child or it would start to suffocate.

7. Give it to the pacifier fairy as a present

The Pacifier fairy is tiny, but powerful and it is the next kin of Tooth fairy. This magical character can help your child to come from the life with a pacifier to a free life without a pacifier. „When my little brother was two years old, we told him, that the Pacifier fairy needs his pacifier for small babies that do not have any pacifier. It worked wonderfully- he liked the idea very much.“ –L. „My daughter was three and a half years old when we played the game with her she gave up the pacifier thanks to this and without any tear. We put all her pacifiers into a bag and told her that the Pacifier fairy will bring her a toy she wishes to have instead of the pacifier. We prepared her for that several months and explained to her that the pacifiers are only for small babies and not for big girls. To our amazement she pushed out the bag with pacifiers herself in front of the entrance door. There was a beautiful toy instead of the bag in the morning, that she chose in advance. She has never mentioned the pacifier again.“

8. „Lose it“

When you look for furiously a lost pacifier next time again, stop. When it got lost, it is lost. Or you can lose it on purpose. Both possibilities are excellent solution for desperate parents.

9. Read about it

Storytelling and reading of stories is at the same time amazing time for smooching and cheering up child´s love to reading and books. By means of books you can „instigate“ your child towards behaviour you would like to see. It will help him also to learn new things, tackle with changes and various changeovers- as for example the end with the pacifier.

10. Leave it to Nature

Sometimes it is needed to forbid the pacifier out of health reasons:

– Children who do not use the pacifier, they have less problems with ear infections.

– If it seems that your child will have some problems with pronunciation, the pacifier can even worsen them.

– Long- lasting and obstinate using the pacifier can cause problems with teeth and oral cavity.

– On the contrary, some parents think, it is better not to be much involved in anything, and leave it up to a child, when it gives up the pacifier itself.

– Sometimes the child can have a strong need to comfort itself, so that when you take away the pacifier from it, it will find compensation quickly: it will suck its thumb, pull a blanket and suck it or it will find another „honey“ that will suck.

Sometimes, the children act and speak in a way that can really anger us. It is easy for the psychologists to say: “Just make sure that you don’t get angry in such situations”, “ don’t get too upset and furious and don’t act in an ill-tempered manner”. But who can remain calm when the child is being rude while acting in the same stupid way over and over again!

¨

And the kids are really capable of this! They often, without knowledge, target the greatest weakness in us and our sensitive areas and they infallibly shoot the ‘poisoned arrow’ right into the spot that really bothers us. Or when our so far pleasant and obedient daughter says in an indignant manner: “I don’t like you at all”. Most of the time, however, the problems arise because the children act in a way in which they are best able to, in a way that is pleasant and convenient to them and this is often on the contrary with what the adults imagine and expect. The children in the present age are moreover taught a much greater aggression in behavior, assertion and activity and in some ways, they are verbally more mature than the previous generations. They have heard and learned a few things from the tv, and so they are able to create a sentence that totally puts us off with its directness and exactness and sometimes even with an open vulgarity.

The meaning of those uttered words – what our anger means

At what basis should we judge the words and behavior of our children (and that of other people as well)? How to understand what the child is doing and saying? How to interpret the actions and the words in certain contexts and specific situations? And how should we respond?

Many of us take the meaning of the children’s words literally and consider them seriously. “I will be good already”, “ I have never been there”, “ I have seen a snake. I don’t like you at all”, “I don’t want you”, “You are ugly”. Alright, it is possible, the words certainly convey a crucial meaning and they make sense. In any case, I consider this “positive” version of interpretation much more suitable than when the parents doubt every word the child says in advance. There are numerous situations in which we do not have any other information and we have to base our understanding on the pronounced sentences.

But don’t we sometimes say: “You will drive me crazy one day”, “ you will weary me out if you will be naughty” ,”the devil will come and take you”, “you will be sent to a reformatory if you won’t behave properly”, “I will throw all your toys out into the rubbish bin?” Do we really mean these seriously? Should the child trust all our words? Do we really keep all the promises that we say out? So should we really trust the words of our children for hundred percent? We all know those stressful moments, full of great rage, suspicions, distrust, fear and disappointment, when the awful words are yelled out and then suddenly more of such sentences can’t be held back.

What meaning do the uttered words have in such situations? Sometimes, it begins with somewhat innocent deceptive words or half-truths and then it escalates into a chain of yet bigger lies and further tangles within them. Sometimes, with our actions, we push the child into the corner ourselves from where there is no escape. The child is then not capable of any sensible defense and so it acts in sheer bad manners or even in a hateful way. The child also usually does not exactly appraise the situation appropriately and it often overreacts. What is commonly acceptable among friends, is far beyond showing respect to adult authorities, the parents. A similar outcome can occur when the child wants to bring us some joy or when it wants to show us some obligation. Then he certainly promises the impossible and with this brings a certain catastrophe upon himself.

A big problem arises when we perceive the child as a completely equivalent partner, an adult person. If this is the such case, then clearly, we cannot let the mess, the unkept promises or even the rude remarks go without any consequences, because precisely its attack jeopardizes our personality and authority directly as well as the basis of the partner relationship. Especially in the case of father-son relationship, aggression might seem as the only appropriate reaction. And this is especially so when the initiator is a maturing son. Nonetheless, the mums frantically “fight” in similar ways.

In such scenarios, the parents certainly don’t have any suspicion about the deeper meaning of what the child has said. Understanding can be very difficult sometimes. The adults definitely should not have just one and the only way of interpretation. If a three-years-old boy tells his mum who refuses to give him a chocolate before lunch: “I don’t like you at all”, I certainly believe that the mum easily understands that the child expresses his anger over the fact that his subjectively perceived willful wish wasn’t fulfilled and not because he has stopped loving his mum. If the mother doesn’t comprehend the situation correctly, and she concludes that the child does this on purpose so that he could trouble her, then she will go for a much less suitable reaction. But if the same happens to a grandma it is possible that a much bigger problem will arise from the situation because the grandma might use a totally different set of understanding. To the grandma it might seem that the child is being aggravated to act in this way by her daughter-in-law, or this could be a result of her bad bringing up and then further worries about the child’s future increasing misbehavior arise.

Sometimes the apprehension of the given situation can be even more complicated if the child starts to use words that are normally not used within the family. “Such words are not allowed to be used around mummy and can never be used on her, otherwise you will get slapped, you’ll see.” The adolescent child, however, is no longer influenced only by the family but his peers play a substantial role too and a lapse occurs easily when the child uses the words and vocabulary of the peer context in a family setting. It is also possible that the child accepts the coerced role of an adult, by the adults, and it then reacts to the parents’ words with the same caliber, in such a way in which he would not take the liberty to do so in a role of a child.

It is therefore not necessary to reject the words. They have its meaning. What is much more crucial is the behavior of the child. However, not just the isolated behavior of now and here, but also of yesterday, a week ago or a month ago. We should hence continuously pick up and keep in our memory the samples of a child’s behavior and apprehensions. In short, we should take note of the child’s actions in various time periods, situations and circumstances and maybe even towards various people. In their context, we can then easily understand the various acts at the spur of the moment as a deviation, as a particular reaction to an acute situation. How can a parent who is subjected to the child’s expressions of dedication and kindness on a daily long term basis believe his one-time frustrations and drifts of vulgarity to be true and to consider both the types of expression to be equivalent?

This could lead to some fatal mistakes especially with the maturing teenagers. Their exceptionally and overbearingly strong words, clearly expressed, as well as often very unfair words reflect the confusion and uncertain anchor in life, a persistent afford to find its place in it, the perpetual perception of life as black and white, the need to confine against those whom they actually love the most. It is important for them to be different from their parents, to contrast them strikingly. We also shouldn’t expect the child to be exactly the same as the way we are. If this would be so, we would probably still run around the forest as apes. As parents, we have undoubtedly got used to a compliance and admiration during the first eight or ten years of life, but during the maturing stage, the teenager has different preferences. Sometimes it is actually praiseworthy that it is different from us.

Sometimes with his inappropriate words and improper behavior, the child can call for a little bit of attention and concern from adults. “If I don’t make any mess, they won’t even notice me, they are at work all the time. Only then will they take some interest, notice me, talk to me and try to solve my problem.”

So how do we handle such situations in such a way so that we don’t unnecessarily cause stress to ourselves and at the same time so that the discrepancy that arises does not distress the relationship with the child? Sometimes, such situations can also lead to a significant deterioration of the relationship between parents in the case that their approach towards their child differs substantially. If the upbringing regardless the extensive afford put in, doesn’t succeed, they will look for a blame and the closest one at hand is the husband, the wife or their parents.

Take note of all actions

In the first place, we should regard the longterm deeds and expressions as the primary ones. Those one-time deeds and words should be considered as an acute deviation from the norm and not the more important ones just because they are the most recent ones on the list. It is also important to take note of all the actions of the maturing child. Most likely, we reasonably get angry over his frequent stays out of the home, his lenient approach towards keeping of a family order, but we should also consider equally seriously that he talks to us for a while, that he smiles at us, that he says “don’t worry”. Maybe these are just some seldom and volatile moments in comparison to that mess in everything else, to the demonstrative refusal of all that is adult, but their value is the equally important. In particular situations, the child might not even be able to do more than that. An exclusively negative perception of all situations from the adult perspective is not good for the maintenance and development of any kind of relationship. It is well-known that our expectations act in a strong way and they are able to significantly influence the child’s behavior in accordance with the expectation. If we therefore always show that we think that he is useless, that he is just a trouble to us and that he will grow up to be nothing at all, then we are certainly contributing to the fact that this will really turn out to be the reality.

We should educate our children from a young age and show them alternatives and socially acceptable ways of solving challenging life situations. It is certainly not necessary for him to curse and swear all the time, to take offense and blame the whole world using all sorts of words. Sometimes it is just enough for him to wait with his reactions for a little while and everything can turn out to be different. It is important to accept that even the very intensive emotions have their place in our lives, however, without the obligation to take those words and actions that tend to accompany them literally.

At other times, we could just keep silent, ignore some words and not hear others. When it is possible, we can leave the battlefield. It is also feasible to leave with the words: “Don’t get mad, but I don’t want to and I’m not going to solve this problem now. When you calm down, we can have a chat about it. Please count to ten and then you can tell it to me again.” At yet other times, we can force the child to leave himself.

I definitely do not recommend accusations, a cry or an emotional extortion. It is possible that these would help in some situations, but its effectiveness will be significantly reduced with its continuous use and after some time, these can paradoxically increase the child’s resistance towards the adult.

It is left up to us to communicate in a more polite manner than the child. We should not say things which are the products of anger especially when we don’t mean them deadly seriously. If we are not in control of ourselves, we should be more discrete with our reactions when the child uses the exactly same rhetorics towards us. In my advisory sessions, a twelve-year-old boy told me how he got a bad mark at school for being rude. He apparently reacted on the teacher’s complaint, that she is bored of constantly discovering whether he did something bad or not, with the answer that he is also bored of it. I consider this teacher’s remark highly unprofessional.

Some advices are in the form of compromise. The adults are more matured and their personalities wouldn’t suffer as much when not all is according to them.

Sometimes it is enough to wait with our reaction for fifteen minutes and then the discussion with the child can turn out to be completely different altogether. We shouldn’t forget that even we behave in a different way with audience around us. We can withstand so much more in a friendly atmosphere in between four eyes than when we have to face the critiques from the whole class or our co-workers.

The adults also forget that what has already happened cannot unhappen. And so they come back again and again to what the child has done wrong yesterday and a week ago, they repeat the same sentences and so as time goes by, they reliably make the child not want to listen to them.

When the child does something wrong, it doesn’t mean that it is a villain. He has just done a bad deed. Children are quite sensitive to how we perceive their misdemeanors. A girl in the seventh grade has copied during her test. The teacher has caught her, let her finish the test and then immediately examined her from the same study material. The girl received a grade five (1 being the best and 5 the worst). Here is an insight of the girl herself: “It was completely fair. I rather not copy again. Because it is not worth the trouble.”

It might seem that I’m pushing the adults into a defense position, that I’m refraining them from reacting to the child’s misconduct, that I’m leaving the upper hand to the children. By providing all the explanations for their behavior I’m actually justifying them. Nothing like that. Nonetheless the up-bringing needs to be effective. And if the child stops to take note of you, if it responds to all your propositions in an opposite manner, if it avoids you and goes to his friends instead, then you can be right a hundred times round and it is still all good for nothing. You will not be able to influence your child anymore. And here I’m trying to find ways which won’t hurt the child or the relationships with those closest ones, which won’t jeopardize his future and which will at the same time lead to the goals set by the parents.

What’s the source of all these sleep problems that we and our children are experiencing? 80% of these problems come from bad habits. Fortunately though, they are several simple ways to help get our child’s sleep back on track.

So, Whose Fault Is It?

Parents that spend hours and hours every night trying to get their little one to sleep, get up in the middle of the night to calm him down and then still take their fussy child to bed with them, are finally at the end of their strength. But who is really the guilty one in this story? Is it really the child? What if he’s only the victim of the bad habits his parents taught him? It’s not easy for parents to accept this possibility, because they mean well and they are convinced that they are doing the best they can to help their child sleep. They sacrificed their privacy, their rest and their sleep – and everything still turned out differently then how they expected.

These parents need to know it’s ok, because child raising is a path that often has its questions, mistakes and dead ends. The good news is that it’s always possible to take another direction.

The start of a vicious circle

Of course it’s completely normal if a child wakes up at night. We have learned that such awakenings are caused by physiological processes and thanks to them, every child wakes up between two sleep cycles. For a child to calmly fall asleep again, he needs to have the same conditions as at night. We don’t need to stress that you have a big problem if your child falls asleep only if he’s riding in a stroller around the apartment or around the house, if you let him in your bed for a while or if he plays with his mom’s hair as if it were his favorite toy. Because then logically, your child will demand the whole „falling asleep process“ (in its every detail) every time he wakes up. This is truly cruel to all parents that let themselves be dragged into this adventure…

Missing boundaries

Another possible cause for sleeping troubles could be an absence of boundaries. We shouldn’t want a child to „test“ his parents to see how resistant they are. A child needs boundaries for a healthy development. Contrary to what many people think a child expects a confrontation with a strong „no“. Without this obstacle, what are they going to rebel against?

A bottle = a trap

A bottle of juice, tea or milk, without which a child won’t fall asleep, can often become a trap. Every time a child wakes up at night, he demands something to drink. As a result of this, he will always have a full bladder, which will prevent him from calmly sleeping.

The pillars of peaceful sleep

The whole life story of a child basically revolves around the fact that a child needs to feel the same way as he did in his mother’s womb. We can achieve this by giving our child love and tenderness, while still setting boundaries that will define his living space. If a child goes to sleep at eight every night, it should not be open for discussion. If you let your child know that mom’s and dad’s bed is off limits, it should stay this way. It’s not easy to maintain these boundaries, especially if you’re tired, if you have a lot of work and you’re scared your child will loose affection for you if you’ll be too strict… However, if a child looses the sense of firm boundaries and rules, his sleep can become troubling

No other choice then to re-educate

What is cooked at home is eaten at home – you probably will need to teach your child everything from the beginning. At first he needs to get used to falling asleep without the help of another, without a stroller, a car or his mothers arms. Then, he needs to understand that at home, mom and dad have the final word.

During such a „re-education“, don’t forget to be gentle to your child and make time explaining everything to him. This is not punishment, but help that you are offering to the child. Don’t make him feel guilty – your job is to be a parent.

“5-10-20”, the winning time limits

Richard Ferber, an American expert on child’s sleep, introduced a special technique „gradual learning“ to parents. He recommends following a bedtime routine and then leaving the child alone in his room, even if he’s crying. After five minutes, return to his room and tell him that it’s necessary for him to sleep alone; then leave again. Don’t touch him, don’t caress him and don’t give him anything to drink. If he keeps crying, wait ten minutes this time and then make another visit in his room. After you assure your child about your presence, leave again. Don’t come back before twenty minutes have passed; keep a watch in your hand. If the child is still crying, keep the twenty-minute intervals between each visit. If you try this shock therapy, the problem will usually be solved within four to five nights. But only if you follow all the rules and time limits! Of course that doesn’t mean you can’t change them a little if you have a particularly anxious child.

There are many circumstances that could bring on sleeping problems in a child: the birth of another sibling, death in the family, separation anxiety in the eight month, starting kindergarten or school, times when a child is learning basic hygienic habits of when he’s learning to walk.

What is the father’s role?

Some say that an overly tight bond between the mother and child can cause sleep disturbances. A child doesn’t want to go to sleep and separate from his mother and she also has a difficult time with physical separation from her child. That’s why a father can play a significant role. If a child cries, it’s up to the dad to calm him, because he won’t give in. He should also help the child understand, that the mothers place is beside his father, not beside the baby’s crib

So many countries, so many customs

In many cultures, soothing a child is taken very seriously. Evil spirits could find a child thanks to his cries. For example, if a Chinese child cries at night, his parents write a magical formula on a yellow piece of paper. For this formula to have the right effect, it must be secretly put up on the street at midnight.

“Being naughty” over and over for different reasons? What is a child actually trying to say by being naughty? The reasons and causes vary with age.

What we call naughtiness in two to three years olds is actually natural part of personal development of a child when the child is showing its personality to others. It’s natural expression where the child is becoming aware of its individuality. What if its disobedience lasts longer?

Important questions:

If the defiance period lasts till the age of four and further it is necessary to reconsider your behavior such as:

– How did we respond to a child when he was trying our patience?

– Did we show it that we love him no matter how its tantrum went?

– Did we understand that it is its natural right to “keep testing” our love? Its right rises from the necessity of personal development.

It is important to give your child love with set boundaries which show the furthest point of direction for its temper.

Imagine how devastating wild water can be if it has no boundaries to stay within or how useful it can be if it has direction. As it is of substance to lead dawn pour to through it’s equally important for the child not to make from its bad behavior a tool to manipulate the adults. “They’ll do what I want if I keep misbehaving, I’ll get the chocolate at the end.” He or she’ll win for the time but it will also bring further problems.

Building a dam

This is the right moment when parent should reconsider if they were able to tame the ‘wild water’ to regulate the flow. To stir the life energy of a child the right way where it is useful and not wasted even though that is usually the easiest way.

Consistency

If you haven’t managed this yet it is necessary to start with consistency immediately: we will not behave according to our child in conflict situations (we will not succumb to its pressure); on the contrary child will behave according to us: we’ll help it to keep his temper under control. We show it that it can rely on us.

Naughtiness in older children

When we manage the defiance period a period of child’s personal stability sets in and child should be able to undergo variety of loads.

If a child is still naughty at this period we should assume this as a particular kind of communication, a coded language.

It could be a distress signal that the child’s delegating. Similarly, when a baby cries its mother is able to recognize the particular need (e.g. hunger, wetness, overtiredness…), it could be that it is an expression of unhappiness.

What is a child trying to say by misbehaving?

If a parent is able to ask this question it is usually the first useful step.

In principle we can find three major roots to child’s problems:

Inherited temper. The temper is relevant to the strength and to the endurance of our nerve system which we carry to this word since the day of conception (it could also be affected by premature birth). Some children are naturally more sensitive to be irritated and to be able to manage their temper is hard life-long battle. Not just raising a child plays role in its personality but also later self-control plays major part. ‘The naughtiness’ can be expresses by overtiredness that is visible during particular part of a day. Hug your child, hold it and let it have peace. This kind of irritation presents itself anywhere it is not affected by people or the environment.

Relationship to mother. If child doesn’t feel strong bond to the most important person in its life it will feel insecure, frightened and it can provoke its mum by being naughty to gain prove of her love. At this time the mother must show it that although she does not accept this behavior she is accepting fully her little person.

Don’t become angry. Try to hug your child tightly and let it live through its worries. Calm him or her down and show them that you are there for them (and only for them at the time). Not only when it is time for cuddle but also when the child is naughty. Do let it know that you are not accepting his bad behavior but also show you don’t condemn the child itself.

Interraction among key people. Whole emotional atmosphere in the family plays major role in child life. If mum will always be preoccupied by various thoughts (.e.g. she is preparing for an exam and takes the care of child as responsibility or even a hard work only) she will be stressed and irritable. This kind of emotions will pass on to the child’s sensitive barometer.

Similarly the child feels the tension between mother and other family members. They are most sensitive to the relationship between the mother and the father or the mother and the mother-in-law. Quarrels between father and other people don’t affect the child so much.

It’s not your fault!

How do you show a child that any misunderstanding is not relative to it but to something else? If a child is able to understand a little you can try and explain the situation: we were not able to come to an agreement with your dad last night, but it wasn’t because of you (even though it actually could have been so, like time management around the child or similar)

Sometimes your child can become unwell due to the tension in the family (psycho-somatic illness). It knows that if he or she will be unwell it will get loving attention of both parents. If that is the case you should approach a specialist to deal with this issue.

He or she is naughty only somewhere

This king of misbehaving is easily recognizable – the child is naughty only in a certain environment – he is well behaved at school but naughty at home or vice versa. (e.g. he is very nervous from their new teacher..) Very often the message is: do pay attention to me, I need you now…

We need to find the cause of the issue and deal with it. Once we fore fill the child’s needs and the behavior does not change we need to search further.

Obduracy and sulking

A period of disobedience comes and goes and we have to survive it. However if child is still at it at older age we have to try finding the cause; it can be naughty for the sake of others.

“A common appearance in children of divorced parents is when mother speaks badly about the child’s father (especially in boys) and the boy can ‘hold dads side’ and punishes her mum by misbehaving.” Says child psychologist Jaroslav Sturma.

Even in two parents family when one humiliates the other or act without love obduracy can occur in the members of the humiliated sex.

Syndrome of rejected parent

If a child is under a strong influence from one parent so called ‘brainwashing’ or rejected parent syndrome occurs. This mechanism ensures that the child is able to content its own private world.

It gives up on the relationship with one parent more or less consciously. For example it takes up mothers’ values and rejects fathers’. Long term disunity is unbearable, the child is not able to take the humiliation of the other and eventually a moment of taking one side comes and it erases the other from its mind.

Even this behavior can be taken as bad but to blame the child for this isn’t fair.